December can't seem to make its mind up on the weather. One day it is warm, the next is is freezing. Snow is expected by the last week of the year. Oh Boy!

It is my hope to get some more writing done in the next year than I did this year. I hope to finish several short stories and work on my two novels.

I also hope to study for my CNOR exam. That has been a challenge especially while trying to finish one Haunted book and start on another. I will do it eventually. Just have to make a plan and follow it. I know, easier said than done.

I wanted to take time to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and New Year! Stay safe and warm, and I hope many blessings befall you in the new year.

Here we are at the end of October with Fall right around the corner. The leaves are beginning to change and are looking really good on my daily drive up 64.

I am hard at work on several short stories and two novels. I am hoping to place them soon, and I hope to get the stories done as well by next year. That is a lofty goal, but I am going to try. I am also researching another haunted book for the future. We shall see how it goes as well.

November 4 celebrates another anthology that contains a story of mine. This one is non-fiction this time and is titled "Using my Karate Chops in Nursing." It promises to leave you with many good feelings afterward.

Hope you have a wonderful Halloween and start getting those jack-o'lanterns carved by Tuesday.

WOW! This summer has passed quite quickly. I hope everyone is staying cool and sending good thoughts to all the people in Texas. Harvey did quite a number in some towns. Irma is following him up the west coast so we shall see what happens soon enough to this side of the country. Everyone take care!

I have been hard at work researching new locations for my next haunted book. I am also working on a couple of short stories and trying to add a chapter here and there to my two novels. I am excited about the Centennial Anthology coming out in November from the Virginia Writers Club. I have a Non-Fiction piece in this one. It has been a great year so far, and I don't intend on stopping.

I have several other projects in the hopper, and I will share those as they happen.

Hey there,

I am excited to say I am starting to research locations for a second haunted Book maybe in Western Virginia. I have several counties already filled with interesting stories. I am also working on several short stories and trying to get them ready for specific contests.

November brings my 4th appearance in an anthology with the Virginia Writers Club. It is a non-fiction piece this time about how I use my karate abilities in my nursing career. I hope you will enjoy it immensely.

Right now, I am excited to be doing a signing in September of all three of the Nightmares & Echoes anthologies. It was such an honor to be included in each one. Hope to see you there!

Hey there and hello,

I am currently working on some more short stories and a novel and trying to keep busy while waiting for the publisher on the haunted book to give me the OK on the book I just submitted. I am quite excited about the book being available within the next year. I will keep everyone updated as it goes along.

Writing is a tough business; I get the worst block at times. My characters sometimes get mischievous and won't do what I want them to do at times. Little devils I call them. I have a couple that I am really wanting to get their story finished as I want to see how it ends. I am a pantser writer and I give my characters free rein of telling their story. I am always surprised at the end. I hope you are too.

Until next time, Susan

Well, I am happy to say my Haunted Book is now finished and off to the publisher. That has to be the most exciting year of my life visiting different locations and writing about the specific occurrences at each. It has been a real history lesson and eye-opener with all the new tales I have heard. The book will be out next year sometime, and I will keep you updated about that. I am fascinated how everything intertwines here in Virginia. Thomas Jefferson had his finger, directly or non-directly, in many pies throughout the state. It will amaze you when you read about all of them.

I am enjoying the warm weather, but I am looking for cooler temperatures which is kind of an oxymoron I guess. I like about 70 and that is it. I stay inside anyway most of the time so no big deal. I hope everyone is having a great summer and safe travels.

Until next time,

Susan

Isn't it amazing how time passes on by? I have been fighting with my blog program because I couldn't access it. I don't know why they have a button that says remember passwords for the future when it asks you for it every time. That really drives me nuts! Well, I am back on and able to post again.

I have been steadily working on my Haunted Charlottesville book and hopefully, that will be ready soon for the publisher. I have a few minor things to take care of still. I have had a lot of fun doing this book, especially touring many of the locations. It has been a real eye-opener into Virginia history and the haunts that still exist in some areas. The best part is they all interconnect somehow, and that is quite fascinating to me.

Hope to have some great news to share soon! Stay tuned!

Did you guys miss me? I have been busy for the last couple of weeks editing and finalizing my Haunted book. It is slowly coming together, and I hope to have it done by next week. I would have been finished by now, but I keep finding interesting places to add to the mix.

It has been enlightening to me to go through this process of writing, editing, getting the pictures in order, and completing other tasks related to the book. I never knew everything that went into publishing. This is a life learning experience. I know next time a few shortcuts and better ways to do things. The first time is always a learning curve.

Hope everyone is doing well, and enjoying the summer weather if you are in the northern hemisphere. It looks like it will be a gorgeous day.

Back to writing, see you next time.

As I look out my window, I see a bright round ball in the sky. When I stepped outside to test the temperature earlier, it was quite warm. This is a big improvement over the beginning of the week when it was rainy and quite cold. I am glad to see spring has sprung even though it was dragged in kicking and screaming. It is nice to see the baby animals start to come out and explore. It is also time to start looking for my favorite hummingbirds to come and have a drink at their feeder. We even have a bumblebee that hangs around the front porch who i have nicknamed Nosy. He has been checking out everything we have done for about a month now.

Get out there and do something fun. It is good to get some sunshine in your blood for those days when there isn't any. Go have some fun in the sun, but remember to use sunscreen. Getting burnt is no fun at all!

I had a wonderful time at the Hanover Book Festival yesterday. I met some new authors and caught up with some old friends. It was a large venue, and it was nice to see so many people supporting the arts. We enjoyed two pups from reading classes in elementary schools as well. Overall, it was a great day even though I only sold two books. The networking was outstanding, and I enjoyed checking out other author's stories and genres.

I am also finishing up my Haunted Book. Hopefully, it will be just a couple of more weeks. Then, off it goes to the publisher. I have had so much fun with this one. I am thinking about another one, but I am unsure of the area yet. It has been a huge learning experience for me, and I have enjoyed meeting everyone at the different venues and talking to them about their ghostly happenings.

Hey there, hi there, ho there,

It has been a busy week for me. I am finishing up the last counties in my book and getting all the pictures straight with my brother's assistance. It has been a great undertaking, but we are almost at the end. I just have to get one more county done and do some edits. WHEW!

The weather has been pretty good this winter. We have had a great run on warmer days than seeing the white stuff which we all hate. I think it was a rather mild winter in fact. I hope they all follow suit in the future. Anytime we don't have snow, it is good. I love snow; I just hate to drive in it.

I see the Mama Giraffe finally had her baby. Sweet little guy. He was staring at the camera when I checked the webcam. Mama and baby look like they are doing well. It has created a big stir in the world. It is nice to see so many people band together over such a wonderful subject. I love a giraffe, they are very gentle. At least the ones I have met are. I remember the first one I met was at a zoo. He loved to have his head scratched.

Well, that is all for now, take care and see you next time.

Hey there and hello,

I just returned from a wonderful trip to Alexandria Virginia. It was good weather, and we even made it down to the waterfront to watch the planes come in every few minutes. We went to eat at La Tasca Restaurant. It is an inviting place that serves excellent Spanish cuisine. I also enjoy the Sangria and the tapas ordered. This time was no different.

As an aside, i am almost finished with my book. I have one more county to finish adding to, and then it will be done except for another quick edit. This has encompassed my life for the last year. I am ready to move forward with several other projects I have in the works as well as take some much needed down time. It has been a great learning experience and the best part of the whole project was getting to irritate my brother every once in a while. He did take some excellent pictures to add with the stories. I know you will enjoy them all.

Back to writing for now, Until next time, enjoy the spring weather here in Virginia.

Here it is at April 2, 2017. This year is passing by amazingly fast.

Last night was the last show of Jeeves Intervenes which had a great run from March 17 - April 1. The whole cast did an outstanding job, I enjoyed it every time I saw it. They just got better and better with each performance. I am quite happy I was able to see the show and interact with the cast as they are truly some remarkable people. BRAVO!

I am also excited as I have a non-fiction story being included in the Virginia Writers Club anthology coming out in November 2017. This is a great honor to be chosen among all the great writers we have in the VWC. I cannot wait to read everyone else's pieces as well. I am in very good company with this one.

My Haunted Book is coming along, just getting the last minute details out of the way and finishing up the last two counties. This has been a great learning experience and one that holds many great memories from getting lost looking for locations to getting some really great shots of the sites we were visiting.

Spring has sprung, and pollen is in full effect. I stay inside when I can so I don't have to deal with the green stuff. It can be very debilitating. It is, however, wonderful to see my fruit trees with leaves and trying to bloom. I can't wait to see if we get fruit this year. We have had them for a good two years so fingers crossed.

Until next time, stay warm and enjoy the sunshine.

I volunteered at the Virginia Festival of the Book this weekend. I had a great time meeting up with old friends and also meeting some new ones. There was every genre of book you can imagine, and many of the authors were signing them as well. I love going to this venue every year as it gives me a chance to take in what is new in the writing world, and it also allows me to do some networking between members of the Virginia Writers Club and those outside of the club. You never know who you may run into or meet at the Festival. I have been going for the last 10 years, and I have enjoyed it every time.

At my very first Festival, I met CJ Lyons. I had read two of her medical series and eagerly bought the third one at the festival. Of course, I had brought all of them for her to sign. She signed the first one with "Thanks for all the lives you have saved." We both talked about out medical background and how it books really identified with our particular professions. She is an ER Physician; I am an OR Nurse. I enjoyed meeting her immensely and as a result, I have every book she has written.

Another interesting author I met at the Festival is Kathy Reichs. She is a forensic anthropologist, and writes the stories that the show BONES is based on at present. She was super sweet and answered my many questions while signing my books for me. She had just come from a formal lunch at the Festival giving a talk on her profession and what she does to truly help solve particular crimes. She is truly a very remarkable woman.

So next year, if you get a chance, check the Festival out on several different days as it runs for five days from Wednesday to Sunday. There are plenty of workshops and talks to interest everyone. It is also a great place to meet up with friends and meet an author or two that you really admire.

WOW! This has been a busy week for me, how about you? I have been writing about the many haunted places of Madison County and trying to match some good pictures with the pieces. It is a work in progress, but we will eventually get there. Slowly but surely has become my mantra. It has been an enlightening, learning, frustrating, and cumbersome journey, but I am almost at the end. There is a light at the end of the tunnel.

I have also been attending my son's play, Jeeves Intervenes. It is a British comedy based on the BBC show Jeeves & Wooster. I must say I am impressed with the whole cast, and what a great job they do every night. They are American, but they perform the show flawlessly in a posh British accent. It is really interesting to my ears to hear them speak normally after the show. I haven't quite figured it out yet. You always think something is one way, but when it turns out to be another, it really blows your mind. I am headed back for several more shows. I cannot wait.

The talk of the day is about Daylight Savings Time and how it has affected everyone. I know the farmers need their daylight for tending animals and planting; however, I know there are some states, such as Arizona, who do not even follow the time savings plan. I wish we could all just stay on one time myself. I really hate going to bed when it is still light out as I do not sleep during the day unless I am dead tired. Good luck to everyone with that!

I went to a particularly fascinating house the other week. This one has at least four or five different entities in it. They twist pictures and make different noises. I went in the house and felt a heaviness one week and the next week, it was still there just not as heavy. It amazes me the different manifestations I see and feel whenever I go and investigate places. Sometimes, I get a strong sense, sometimes none at all. I guess it depends on whether the ghosties want to communicate at all. We shall see how it goes.

Until next time, stay warm and please be safe if it will be snowing in your area of the world.

Here we are in March already. WOW! This year has gone by fast.

I am compiling my Haunted book to turn in this month for publication. It has been a year long exercise in organization and patience. Some of the stories wrote themselves, and some I really had to fight with to speak. I think I have learned to take what I have, employ research and visiting the location and adding it together to make something interesting for the reader. I have enjoyed the research part of the book going to the different sites and seeing what they have to offer. Sometimes, I wonder if they see us as ghosts on their side. Interesting proposition!

Back to writing.....The book is due very soon.

It is a gorgeous Sunday morning. Here it is February and in the 70s. I love it.

My brother and I spent most of the day yesterday going through pictures for the Haunted book. It is due next month, and I am looking forward to having the whole kit and kaboodle finished very soon. It has been an interesting process, and it is one that I will emulate for future books. We have visited a lot of places and been on many fascinating tours. I am fascinated by how much history I have learned as well that I didn't know before I started on this journey.

I am writing today to get caught back up on the rest of the counties that are left. It has been hard working full-time and trying to write. I only have about three hours each evening to do what I need to stay ahead. Hopefully, all that hard work will pay off very shortly. It takes time and patience to go through all the stories and all the pictures and match them up. We are getting there, slowly but surely!

Hope you are having a wonderful day, and I will talk to you next time.

Happy Saturday!

I have been told as a nurse that if you don't enjoy your job, you should probably keep looking for the right niche. I found the OR and fell in love. I love being able to help patients feel comfortable before a big procedure. It can be quite scary as I have faced them myself. It also helps in providing fodder for my horror stories at times.

With writing, it is the same. A wise man named Charlie Finley told me the same thing. If it is not fun, why do it? I have found that to be true of the stories I have written. Sure, you get that feeling of excitement seeing your name on a book cover, but are you really enjoying the process? It has taken me almost 10 years to get three short stories published. You have to have patience as well as talent sometimes.

If you are a beginning or struggling writer, don't give up. You will get there. It may not be today or tomorrow, but your time will come. I think all writers today are proof of that. Don't stop and keep writing.

As another writer, David Robbins, once told me: Just because someone says NO, it doesn't mean NEVER. It just means not this way. You have to find a way around that block and onto to the next road. I have remembered this every time I received a rejection letter. I also remember that JK Rowling got around 13 rejections for Harry Potter. So to me, no just means try again.

Keep up the good work until next time!

I just posted on Facebook about trying to sleep in for the weekend. It is not happening. I have been up since 5AM trying to research and write on the Haunted Book some more as it is due next month. It has been a great year of visiting the different locations and taking many pictures of the sites. I have enjoyed talking to the many people involved, and I hope I can do all their stories and tales justice.

It has been a huge undertaking, but I am almost done. My brother and I are going through the pictures and adding those into the mix as well. I just have to finish the last pieces and get them formatted correctly on a hard drive. It will be a relief to have it turned in at last. More on that later!

I also had a great idea for another story which I thought of when a friend of mine sent me a picture of a haunted house. I will get to work on that when I am done with the Haunted Book.

Hope everyone is staying warm in this part of the country. It is cold out there and very windy. I felt like I was being blown all over the highway yesterday on the ride home. Hold on tight to that wheel. You just never know when it may be ripped from your hands.

I am hard at work on my Haunted Charlottesville book which is coming up due soon in March. I am getting quite excited as I think I have some great stories matched with my brother's great pictures. It is going to be a collaboration of stellar proportions. I hope you guys enjoy it as much as I have writing it.

I have learned so much about Virginia's history that I did not know. The neat thing about it all is the interconnectedness of the whole thing. One thing leads to another which leads to another. It is simply amazing. I have had so much fun researching and visiting the places included. I may have to do another one, but first, let me finish this one. Hopefully, it will be printed this year. I will keep you posted on all developments as they occur.

Well, back to writing and editing. Enjoy your Saturday!

Well, here we are at the end of January. This month has passed by so quickly and I guess before we know it, this year will be gone and onto the next one. It amazes me that once I graduated from high school, time seemed to fly. I sure wish it would slow down, just half a tick,,,,,,,,

Well, I am currently writing my haunted Charlottesville book still. I am working on the stories and matching them up with my brother's great pictures. It is going to be a good book I feel. Even if the writing is no good, the pictures will be awesome, Haha! We both are trying to get it all together for the March deadline. Slowly but surely!

I am also working on my paranormal romance as well as another short story. The anthology won't be happening this year so I have found another outlet. Hopefully, I will hear back soon.

Writing isn't as easy as it seems. I like to write by the seat of my pants. My characters have full rein of the story so I am just as surprised as you sometimes at the ending. It really is those mischevious characters that lead the stories. They keep me company most of the time until there story is told. These are friendships that keep on giving especially if there is a second story involved.

Take care and keep writing, You will get there.

WOW! Here we are almost to the end of January. I am sorry I missed posting for a couple of weeks. I was out of town on vacation. We went on a Star Trek cruise, the first ever. What I find interesting about Star Trek, especially the original series, is how everyone got along. The show was made in the 60's, but they had a vision of world peace. They had Scottish, Russian, African, and a Vulcan on the bridge of the first ship. It tells me that we can all come together and get along. It will take time and patience, and it may not happen until far in the future. This is my hope for all humanity - We learn to get along better and make life better for everyone just like Star Trek taught us. Sure, they have their beefs with the Klingons, the Romulans, and the Ferengi. However, if these races are in trouble or need assistance, we are there to help. It really says a lot about the world today and the world in 1960.

Even with the many incarnations of Star Trek - The Next Generation, Deep Space 9, Voyager, and Enterprise - we see this message still shining through with each episode. Many of the props used in the original series have become used in today's world. The communicator, the hospital beds, and the opening doors are all good examples of what people can do when given a great idea. Let's hope it continues, and we finally do find that peace we have always been looking for among all people.